Two women wearing black aprons and white face masks stand in an art storage facility holding a painting of a young brown-skinned girl in a pink dress with a piece of cake.

‘Sunday Best with Cake’

As a result of the earthquake that rocked northern Utah last March, the racking system in our ArtHaus storage facility was badly damaged. In the first few days following the earthquake, we remained uncertain about the status of the State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection and if any pieces had been completely destroyed — thankfully, none were.

During this uncertain time, Sunday Best with Cake (Fidalis Buehler, 2012, oil on panel) became a symbol of hope after it was found protecting many of the surrounding artworks with its sturdy frame.

For a time, Sunday Best with Cake hung in our division headquarters at the Glendinning Home in Salt Lake City until it was moved next door to the Governor’s Mansion. First Lady Abby Cox decided to depart from the more traditional art curation at the Governor’s Mansion, instead opting to highlight contemporary pieces by a more diverse selection of artists.

While there are still many traditional and historically significant pieces hanging at the Governor’s Mansion, the third-floor gallery space is dedicated solely to contemporary works, including Sunday Best with Cake.

For more about our Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection, please visit our webpage about the collection. 

A painting of a young brown-skinned girl in a pink dress with a piece of cake hangs on an orange wall.
Sunday Best with Cake, Fidalis Buehler, 2012, oil on panel